Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
by wondering why i
Summary: Life after the war with painful and happy memories for Draco and Harry. Slash. Oneshot.


**Title: **Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of Harry Potter.

**Summary: **Life after the war with painful and happy memories for Draco and Harry. Slash. Oneshot. There is some French dialogue scattered around but I added the translations in the dialogue also. Poor Harry has to know what his lover is saying after all.

**A/N:** _Flashbacks_ are in _Italics_

**Betas:** rastaban43 (from _PI_) and Catmint

oOoOoOoOoOo

Harry was seated in his favourite armchair, flipping through a picture album, when his little five-year-old daughter entered the living room and crawled onto her father's lap. Melinda-Rose Potter looked just like her father – amazing emerald-green eyes, and thesame smile and midnight-black hair that flowed downto the middle of her back. Her hair wasn't wild like her father's but tame, straight and soft like her mother's had been. Along with her nose, her smooth hair was the only physical characteristic that she had inherited from her mother. She was as equally stubborn as both of her parents.

Harry placed the album over her lap so that she could look at the pictures with him. He stopped on her favourite picture of Ginny Weasley, her mother. It was a Muggle picture, which had been taken by Colin Creevey in Harry's sixth year. It had been taken a few weeks before Snape hadkilled Dumbledore and 'it' hadall begun. The search for theHorcruxes, the attacks... Hogwarts hadn't been reopened the following school year. No parent in their right mind would have been foolish enough to let their children out of theirsight.

"What was Mummy like?" Melinda asked looking up at her father with big curious eyes.

"She was kind, gentle and smart, but very stubborn," Harry told his little girl. "She would never give up without a fight. We were very good friends. I know she loved you very much." Ginny had been killed at the young age of sixteen, when Melinda had been four months old. It hurt Harry to know that his little girl would never know her mother. It was something he sadly knew all too much about.

The little girl turned the page and smiled as her eyes fell upon a wizarding picture of Harry and Draco Malfoy. The blond was hugging Harry from behind as Harry looked up at his lover. Both were smiling lovingly at each other. Melinda suddenly got a small, thoughtful frown on her face and Harry knew that she was going to ask another question.

"Daddy, does Draco love me?"

Harry was shocked. "Of course he does! Why would you ask that?" Harry wanted to know. He knew that Draco regarded Melinda as his own. He and Harry had even discussed his adopting her and becoming a legal guardian. Harry liked the idea of knowing that, should anything happen to himself, Draco would be able to keep her.

"Well, he doesn't spend a lot of time with me. He buys me toys all the time but he spends more time with you. I know he works a lot but I want him to play with me more often, like you do."

Harry sighed. Once a Malfoy always a Malfoy. Draco wasn't like his father but there would always be a small part of Lucius Malfoy in him. Draco was already ten times more loving towards Melinda and Harry than Lucius had ever been towards his own wife and son. Personally, Harry couldn't see how the man had stayed so cold towards his family. Harry couldn't go a day without showering both Melinda-Rose and Draco with love.

The war had seen to that even more. Harry always made sure that the people he loved knew how he felt. Anything could happen at any moment and he wanted to make sure that they knew he loved them. The survivors had only got closer after the war ended and that wasn't about to change. He could only hope that the people he had lost had known they were loved and would be sorely missed.

"Never doubt Draco's love for you, sweetie. What does he tell you every night when he tucks you in?" Harry asked.

"That he loves me and will forever and ever and ever," she said proudly without skipping a beat. For as long as Harry could remember, Draco would give the little girl a hug and kiss goodnight before tucking her into bed and saying, "I love you, my precious Rose, and I will forever and ever and ever". Harry had nearly cried the first time he had heard it and spent the next few hours showing the love of his life exactly how much it meant to him that Draco had taken on the role of second parent.

_"I can't guarantee I'll be the greatest parent, but I promise I will never be like _him_. I refuse to be," Draco promised Harry as they lay in bed holding each other. _

_"And you won't," Harry assured him as he moved a strand of damp, blond hair out of Draco's face. "I can tell right away you won't be, for Lucius Malfoy wouldn't even tell his own son he loved him."_

_"I don't think he _did _love me. I was merely the one meant to continue the family line. I was a disappointment to him, but I didn't want what he expected of me."_

_"If I didn't think you would be a good father, I wouldn't have let you in her life. I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did. You saved her life," Harry said as he started to cry, something he did every time the memory was brought up. Draco held him tight as he himself tried hard to forget what had happened._

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Melinda asked, eyes full of concern as she looked into her father's eyes. They were shining with unshed tears as he was pulled out of his memories. Harry pulled the little girl to him and held her tightly.

"Just remembering the 'Big Fight'," he told her. The few times the war had come up whilst talking with his daughter – mostly about the past and her mother – Harry had never called it a war. To her, it was the Big Fight. When she was older, he would replace the name. He knew she would end up reading about it in a book somewhere. If that didn't happen, she would most definitely learn about it in school during History of Magic. He gave a chuckle at the thought of Professor Binns telling his classes about the second war in a monotonous voice.

"What were you remembering?" she asked.

His heart stopped. She was too young to be told anything more than the big details of why it had happened, who had won and whose lives had been lost. No details of fights or how certain people had died. All she needed to know was "Daddy got rid of the bad guy with the help of his friends and family". He knew he would be asked again when she was older, and when he judged that she was old enough, he would tell her.

"Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about," he smiled. Melinda nodded and turned back to the picture album.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Standing out in the hallway next to the entrance of the living room where Harry and Melinda were, Draco stood, stunned, as the painful question rang repeatedly in his mind._ **"Daddy, does Draco love me?"**__Of course I love her! _ Draco thought. How could he _not _love his precious Rose?

"Never doubt Draco's love for you, sweetie. What does he tell you every day?" Draco heard Harry ask.

"That he loves me and will forever and ever and ever," he heard Melinda's proud voice announce. Love her forever he would. She and Harry were his reason for living.

When Draco heard Harry mention his thinking about the 'Big Fight', he knew exactly which part of it Harry was remembering. That memory would haunt them both forever. It was by far one of the worst.

_He had been at The Burrow with Ron, Ginny and Melinda-Rose when there had been an attack. No one had ever found out how Voldemort's follower had got through the wards. Ginny and Ron had been downstairs while Draco had been upstairs, watching the little girl sleep. He heard a crash that sounded like a body falling, and Ginny let out a scream that was cut short. There were heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and Draco had no way of getting himself and the crying baby to safety. His only option was to stand between the crib and the door and face down the intruder. He cast a shield on the crib and turned around in time to fire as the nursery door was blasted open. He had the advantage that his attacker had been expecting a room holding no one save a baby._

_The sickly green beam of light, shot by Draco, missed its target and hit the doorframe. The blond Slytherin avoided a Stunning Spell as he tried desperately to protect both himself and Melinda. This was not going to be easy._

_"Just give me the kid and I'll leave you alone, Draco," the Death Eater ordered him as he ducked yet another Killing Curse. Draco's nerves were affecting his normally impeccably good aim. Draco recognised the voice of Rodolphus Lestrange, his uncle._

_"Sorry, dear uncle, but that's not going to happen. You'll have to kill me first."_

_"You're a disgrace to the Malfoy name," the man spat before firing another spell at his disowned nephew. The spell hit the side of Draco's shield with a force that made him stumble sideways, giving Rodolphus free range at the crib. Draco knew there were only two curses that could penetrate the shield around the crib, and he also knew that Voldemort would want the child brought to him alive. With the knowledge that every Death Eater is sick-minded and touched in the head, Draco could easily guess which curse was coming next. _

_He launched himself back between the crib and offending wand in time to absorb the Cruciatus curse that had been intended for the innocent infant. He was hit with the full force of the spell, having lost his shield when he fell, and he immediately clenched his jaw as torturous pain took over his body. He refused to give the sick man in front of him the pleasure of hearing him scream in agony. Malfoys were not weak. _

_Draco didn't know how long he had been under the curse, but his uncle seemed to be enjoying himself. It was sick and twisted. Pure evil._

_"I would surrender the child before you end up in St Mungo's alongside the Longbottoms, dear nephew. Is she really worth the torture, Draco?" his uncle asked. _

Yes,_ Draco thought. She was most definitely worth it. _Any _child was worth it in his eyes. No doubt a curse this powerful on a child would be enough to kill them. _

_What seemed to Draco like an eternity had passed before the curse was lifted, and he saw his uncle's body crumple to the floor. Draco fell to his knees, sending pain through his weak body. He looked up through blurry, tear-filled eyes and saw Harry with his wand pointed at the body on the floor. The Boy Who Lived snapped out of his trance and rushed to the crib to pick up his crying child before kneeling on the floor next to his friend. Draco looked up, feeling his body clench in pain from the small movement and saw that Harry had silent tears rolling down his face._

_"Is she...is she alright?" Draco gasped in pain. Harry nodded as he made soothing sounds to try and stop the crying. "Ron and...and Ginny...are they..."_

_Harry started crying harder._

Draco was brought out of his bad memories by the sound of Harry asking Melinda if she wanted a snack. Draco walked into the room with a forced smile. It was impossible to have a real smile in place after recalling such a horrible memory.

"How are my two favourite people?" he asked as he walked into the living room. Melinda-Rose gave a surprised gasp and ran to him. He knelt down to catch her in a big hug before standing up with her in his arms.

"You're home early!" she said happily. Draco smiled and walked over to Harry to give a kiss to his lover of four years.

"I am. I took the rest of the day off and I'll be home all weekend," he told her as he put her down so he could give Harry another kiss. "Did I hear someone mention a snack?" Melinda nodded eagerly before running off towards the kitchen. He knew they would probably find her standing on a stool at the counter helping Tinky prepare her snack.

"What made you come home early?" Harry asked, putting his arms around Draco's waist as they walked out of the room towards the kitchen. Draco held him close and kissed his temple.

"I missed my family," he replied simply. "That, and I crossed Seamus in the hallway at work. He was taking the afternoon off so he and Hermione could take the twins to a Muggle film. He invited us along, and I know how much Melinda likes the cinema. I still can't grasp how Muggles came up with it, but it's quite entertaining," he admitted.

"You're adorable, you know that?"

"Bien sûr," Draco chuckled. He knew Harry was waiting for the usual translation. "Of course," he repeated in English, translating the French for Harry as the black-haired boy usually did for him when using Parseltongue.

Harry smiled, and Draco knew he was memorising the word and adding it to the ones he had learnt over the years. Draco found it extremely cute to hear Harry try and say the words properly, and he normally managed to make Harry blush when playfully teasing him about it. He stopped them just before entering the kitchen and dipped his head down to give Harry a deep kiss. Harry had just snaked his arms around Draco's neck when they heard a giggle. They had been caught.

"Caught you!" Melinda squealed with laughter before running back into the kitchen. Harry and Draco followed her in as they laughed.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"She doesn't think I love her," Draco told Harry dully as they sat outside late that afternoon under a tree, watching Melinda run around with three-year-olds Julie and Rick. Harry and Draco had taken the twins for the rest of the day to give Seamus and Hermione some alone time.

"You heard that?" Harry asked, even though it was more a statement then a question. Draco nodded. "She knows you love her. She just wishes you spent more time with her."

"I guess I do spend more time with you, don't I?"

"It's not your fault. You spend time with her when you can."

"I work long hours, but I don't have to, and I should spend more time with her, with both of you together. We're a family, and we need to spend more time together like we did this afternoon. I promise that from now on I will work less. No more working weekends or extra hours," he said decisively. Harry kissed the blond's neck and snuggled closer.

"So I take it you heard my mention of the war?" Harry asked again, even though it was perfectly obvious that he had.

"You have to stop thinking about that attack. One good thing _did_ come out of it. We finally began to slowly acknowledge our real feelings," Draco reminded himwith a small smile.

"It took us forever to finally admit that we felt more for each other and wanted more than just a snogging buddy. That kiss after you saved her…we were so unsure. Like we weren't ready to throw our feelings out in the open. Even after that we ignored it for months."

"But the feelings were still there, hanging over us."

_"Is she...is she alright?" Draco gasped in pain. Harry nodded as he made soothing sounds to try and stop the crying. "Ron and...and Ginny...are they... "_

_Harry started crying harder. Draco put a painful arm around Harry's shaking shoulder and ignored the pain as he scooted closer to gently pull him into a light hug._

_"You saved her," Harry cried. He looked up at Draco and reached out to gently wipe away the trail of blood slowly running down the side of Draco's chin. "You could have let him take her but instead you –" Harry's voice failed him as he started crying again. The pain was very slowly starting to ebb away, so Draco held on just a little tighter. He had never been in so much pain but he would do it all over again if he had to._

_"You're not alone, Harry," Draco whispered. "No one living in this house will let anything happen to her. Not without a fight." Draco lifted his other hand slowly and gently rubbed Melinda's little chubby arm as she started to quieten down a little. After a few minutes had passed, Melinda had finally fallen asleep in her father's arms. It didn't look like Harry was ready to let her go just yet._

_"I'll never be able to thank you enough," Harry told him in a hoarse whisper as he stared deeply into pools of silver. Emerald remained locked on silver for a few moments before Draco hesitantly leaned in a little and glanced at Harry's lips. The young father met him halfway, hesitating just as much, as he let his eyes flutter shut and his lips gently press into Draco's. He pulled away slightly after a moment before pressing his lips to the blond's again with a little more assurance this time but just as much gentleness._

_They heard a scream from downstairs and sprung apart. Molly was home. They heard a gut-wrenching sob before two pairs of feet were heard running up the stairs. Hermione and Charlie tore into the room, wands at the ready. Hermione grabbed onto the doorframe for support when she spotted the dead Death Eater. She went to kneel next to Harry while Charlie went to kneel next to Draco. _

_"He knows, Hermione! He knows about my baby and he's after her!" Harry cried. Hermione pulled her best friend into a hug, careful not to disturb the sleeping child._

_"Why don't you put Melinda in her crib and –"_

_"No! I...I want to hold her a bit more." Hermione nodded in understanding and helped him to stand up._

_"Draco, what happened? " Charlie asked as he helped the fragile blond to stand. Draco swayed from the still-existing pain in his legs. The redhead steadied him before helping him to walk forward after Harry and Hermione._

_"I was watching Melinda sleep when I heard a crash and...and Ginny scream. I heard him coming up the stairs and I had no way of getting us away, so I...I shielded the crib and got ready to battle. I took the Cruciatus Curse for –"_

_"You _what _?" Harry asked as he spun around at hearing the news. He had known what Draco had been under, but he had never thought that the curse had been intended for his little girl. "You mean to tell me he was going to use it on my baby girl? The sick bastard was going to use Crucio on a _four-month-old baby?_!" Harry's voice was growing louder, bordering on hysteria. Draco nodded. Harry's mind was filled with pictures of his little girl in that much pain and he had to grab the wall to keep from falling. He was no longer fighting this war to avenge his parents' death, to save the wizarding world, to fulfil the damned prophecy or any other reason he had had before. He was going to kill Voldemort and ensure that the lunatic never got the chance to come near his child._

Harry was sobbing and shaking in Draco's arms, the memory too painful to bear.

"Shhh, baby. C'est terminé. It's all over. She's safe now, see?" He lifted Harry's head gently to show him the kids running and laughing as they chased each other. Harry smiled. She was growing up so fast. "Remember the first time you held her?" Draco asked as he recalled Harry's face when Poppy Pomfrey had handed him the little bundle.

_Draco, along with Hermione, Ginny and Molly, had been at The Burrow having lunch when Ginny had gone into labour at the table. Poppy Pomfrey had been called immediately. _

_Harry had been on Order business at Headquarters with most of the Weasleys and a few other Order members drawing attack plans and collecting information from spies, but Draco sneaked out of Ginny's room to fire-call Harry. As the blond had expected, Harry dropped what he was doing without even giving it a second thought and Flooed over right away. A few of the Order members hadn't been pleased thinking that what they were doing was more important but Harry simply told them to shut it and get back to work. After a lot of screaming from Ginny and happy tears from the girls, Melinda-Rose Potter was born, and Ginny instructed the old mediwitch to let Harry hold the little girl first._

_His face was priceless, and he turned to Draco, who had been the closest._

"_She's so tiny," he said in awe. "Can you believe I'm a father at seventeen?" _

_Draco mumbled his answer loudly enough for only Harry to hear. "Potter, I'm still trying to figure out how you got laid," he joked._

"_And when's the last time you got some, Malfoy?" Harry shot back playfully. Draco opened his mouth to reply but closed it shortly after. Harry had won this round._

"So did you ever figure out how I got laid?" Harry chuckled.

"I think you'll have to remind me tonight," Draco purred in Harry's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Harry hissed, making Draco moan. He loved hearing Harry speak Parseltongue just as much as Harry liked hearing him speak French. He only wished that he could learn the snake language like Harry could learn French.

"I'll remind you alright," Harry translated. "I still can't believe_ I _lost my virginity before _you _did."

"Yes, well, I was a traitor to the Dark side and not trusted much on the Light. In all, no one wanted me. I'll always be thankful to Molly and Arthur for giving me a chance and taking me into their home. After the way I had been towards their children and my father towards them..."

"They were willing to give you a chance because you took a big risk switching sides. Not many people manage to do that and stay alive. And Molly's a mother of seven. It's hard for her to turn away a child in need."

"I loved it there. Even in the middle of all the chaos, there was always a feeling of family and love in the air. I'd never felt that at the manor. I didn't even think it was something I craved until I had it. I was shocked that they all accepted me so quickly. Especially you and Ron."

"You helped the Order a lot with the information you were able to give when you changed sides and even after that. I know you didn't feel useful since they never gave you a role in the bigger tasks, but you were still a big help. Especially after Melinda was born. Knowing you were there to care for her while I was away took a load off of me."

"Yes, and now it's your turn to have it easy. How's life as a stay-at-home mother? Still love it as much as you did the last time I asked?" Draco joked. Harry smiled. After the war had finally ended with good conquering evil, Draco and Harry had bought a big house together. When the blond told Harry he wanted to take care of them and let Harry stay at home to bring up his little girl, it was an offer that Harry couldn't refuse.

"I still love it. I didn't know how I would take not having something to do but I was wrong. She keeps me busy all day. I wouldn't change a thing about it. I see now why Molly loved it so much."

"Perfect. Since you enjoy life as a stay-at-home parent, we can get another child." Harry's head snapped up.

"You...you really want another child?" Harry asked. He didn't want to believe it, at the risk of being disappointed.

"I do. I want lots of children. I would go for the whole package and marry you if only the damn Ministry would allow it. I'm still working on that one, by the way."

"How many do you want?" Harry asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always thought his lover was content with only Melinda-Rose so had never brought up the subject.

"Well, I was hoping we could outnumber the Weasleys - although no twins. Those two will be just as bad as Fred and George when they grow up," he said, referring to Rick and Julie.

"You want us to adopt seven children?" Harry asked. Now he knew Draco wasn't being serious.

"Alright, so maybe not _seven,_ but I still want a few." Harry smiled before making a realisation. "What's wrong?" Draco asked, noticing the sudden change of attitude in his lover.

"Well, what are the chances of us being allowed to adopt? They won't pass a marriage law, so I doubt they'll let two wizards adopt a child," Harry said, disappointment lacing his voice.

"We'll go through a private agency. How could a young parent looking to give their child to a good home refuse us? You're home all day, we have enough money to provide for an army and our little Melinda-Rose is living proof that we're good parents." Harry smiled. He knew Draco wouldn't let him down.

"Will you arrange a meeting with an agency?" Harry asked.

"Bien sûr," he assured Harry as he pulled his lover closer to him. First thing tomorrow he would contact one and make arrangements.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Are you sure you don't want us to take Melinda for the night?" Seamus asked Harry and Draco. Hermione was holding Julie in her arms, and Seamus was holding Rick. Both children were fast asleep.

"We'll take you up on that offer when we go to the agency if that's alright, Hermione?" Draco asked.

"It's fine. I'm happy for you guys. We both are," she smiled. "We better get these two home and in bed. Let us know when the meeting is," she added before stepping into the fireplace and disappearing in a swirl of green flames. Seamus waited a while to ensure that his wife had time to step out on the other end and then he left.

"Now, Mr. Potter, I believe you had to remind me of something?" Draco asked. Harry hummed an answer as he kissed his lover. The Gryffindor broke the kiss and gently pulled Draco by the hand up to their room. To make things faster, they started shedding their clothes as they walked upstairs. Tinky would no doubt pick them up later. When they reached their room, both were dressed in only their boxers. Harry crawled up the bed, closely followed by his favourite blond. Harry flipped their positions so he was on top and continued to explore Draco's mouth. He slowly and teasingly started to move his hips, feeling Draco starting to harden beneath him. They heard the door creak open, and Harry quickly rolled off of Draco and landed next to the panting blond as Melinda poked her head into the room. Bad timing.

"I had a nightmare," she whispered. Harry and Draco had to strain their ears to hear her, and they could tell she was frightened. Draco sat up and opened his arms to her in invitation. His precious Rose immediately scrambled over to the bed and climbed up and into his lap. Again, Harry felt like crying with happiness. He always felt the tears come up during sweet moments like this.

"Do you want to stay with me and Daddy until you fall asleep again?" Draco asked. Melinda nodded and lay down between her parents before closing her eyes. "Bonne nuit. Je t'aime ma précieuse Rose. Je t'aimerai pour toujours." She smiled and he knew he didn't _have _to translate, but it just wouldn't be the same without saying it. "I love you my precious Rose, and I will forever and ever and ever," he told her softly.

Harry smiled as he pulled the covers over her and hugged her to him.

"I don't have the heart to move her," Harry said when Melinda had fallen asleep.

"I know and we don't have to," Draco told him. He didn't have the heart to move her either.

"But I want you..._now_." Harry was almost whining and Draco found it terribly cute. Harry hissed and Draco recognised it as his name. He was extremely turned on and knew Harry had done it with the intent of having that effect.

"She can sleep here. We can spend the night in one of the guest rooms." Draco could see the hunger in Harry's eyes as he carefully got out of their bed and yanked Draco out of the room with him and down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms. He pushed the blond onto the bed and both were panting, kissing and getting hard in a matter of seconds.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"I don't think I can come again tonight," Harry laughed lightly as he caught his breath. Draco nodded in agreement and pulled Harry to himself.

"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked when he saw Harry was staring at a spot on the wall. This was normally something he did when he was deep in thought.

"You know, if I had had the willpower to refuse Ginny, I wouldn't have Melinda. I tried to tell Ginny it wasn't a good idea, but she didn't listen. Being a seventeen-year-old boy, my rational thinking went down the drain pretty quickly. Melinda's probably the only reason I don't regret it."

"Are you saying that you regret sleeping with Ginny?" This was news to Draco.

"Without considering Melinda-Rose? Yes. I cared for Ginny and I liked her, but I didn't love her then. I don't even know if it would have eventually grown into love. I mean, I loved her, but I love the whole Weasley family. Then I fell in love with you, and I always wished you had been my first."

"You were _my_ first."

"That makes me wish you had been mine even more. I just...she ambushed me. I had no way to escape and I caved in. Neither of us even thought to cast a contraception charm, but I'm happy we didn't. It wasn't easy during the war, but it was worth it."

_"Gin? Hermione said you wanted to see me?" Harry asked as he walked into the sunlit bedroom. Ginny was nowhere in sight. Harry heard someone walk in behind him, and he turned around to find Ginny. She closed and locked the bedroom door quietly. "Hermione told me you –" He was cut off by her lips over his. Out of habit he kissed back but gently pushed her back a minute after. "Gin, what are you –"_

_"Hush, Harry," she told him before leaning up to kiss him again._

"_Ginny," Harry said sternly as he pulled away. "We're not togeth –" Ginny hushed him again, so Harry stood there and let her kiss him although his participation was minimal. _

"_Please, Harry..."_

"_Gin, what is it you – Oh, Merlin!" He backed away when he felt her hand slide downwards. "Ginny, no! We _can't_! You brothers would have my head! Forget _them_, your mum would... The rest of his sentence was drowned out by a moan as Ginny's hand grabbed him and refused to let go._

"_Please, Harry, I need you. If only for a short while..." Harry took a deep breath. The rational part of his brain was losing but put up one last attempt._

"_Ginny, this really isn't a good idea," Harry breathed out as the redhead at his neck and put her hand to use by stroking him through the fabric of his robes. Ginny stepped back and Harry thought he had won until Ginny let her robes fall to the floor. Harry's rational thinking came crashing down around him._

"Tut, tut, Potter. No control," Draco joked after Harry had finished telling him what had happened.

"Baby, if I do this," Harry said, dipping down to gently bite Draco's neck, "and this," he added as his hand brushed Draco's returning erection, "how much control do you have? Especially if I stand naked before you?" he whispered in the blond's ear.

"None whatsoever," Draco admitted as his voice hitched from the ministrations.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Harry was in the kitchen making cookies with Melinda and Tinky when Draco came waltzing in – home early from work – with a smug look on his face. The occupants of the kitchen all smiled in greeting. Draco had kept his promise of more family time and had stopped working weekends and extra hours. He had even taken to coming home early once in a while.

"I don't suppose you'll be sharing those when they're finished, will you?" Draco asked Melinda, giving her a hug from behind as she attempted to mix the stiff dough. She handed him the bowl with a big smile.

"Only if you help!" Draco smiled and finished mixing for her. It was only fair that he do some work also. A chocolate chip bounced off his forehead, and he raised an eyebrow at Harry, who was holding the bag.

"Trying to get your attention. I didn't get a kiss yet. Melinda, sweetie, does Draco get any of our cookies if he doesn't give Daddy a kiss hello?"

"Nope!" she said happily.

Draco smirked and passed the bowl of cookie batter to Tinky so she could mix a little more before he sauntered over to his lover and dipped him backwards. Melinda and Tinky giggled while Harry smiled. He put a hand up next to their lips to block the view from their impressionable daughter before swiping his tongue over Draco's mouth like a kitten. The blond crashed their mouths together and eagerly explored Harry's open and waiting one. When breathing became a necessity, Draco pulled back and gave Harry a smirk.

"You've been snacking on the chocolate chips." Harry nodded and gave him a peck before Draco pulled him back up. Melinda was giggling as she licked the cookie dough off the wooden spoon while Tinky was busy putting small globs of cookie batter onto the cooking tray. She was shaking her head at her masters but still had a smile on her face. There was never a dull moment in the Malfoy-Potter household.

"Now that we've got cookies and greetings out of the way, I'm home for a reason," Draco told Harry. "You and I have a meeting with the adoption agency. A young mother would like to meet us," Draco told Harry as he watched his lover's eyes light up with hope and happiness.

"Can I come? Pleeeease!" Melinda begged. "I'll be really, really good!" she promised.

"Of course you can come, but you have to promise not to interrupt," Harry told her seriously. She nodded fervently before running to her room to put on something clean.

"I have to go change as well. I'll be down in a minute," Harry told Draco. He pulled the other man in for a loving kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"I definitely think you would be good parents," the young mother told Harry and Draco with a small smile. "It's going to break my heart, but I want him to have a good home and be well provided for. I can't give him that at the moment."

"We promise to give him everything he needs and more," Harry promised. He hoped she wouldn't change her mind about choosing them.

"Tinky won't let you spoil him, Daddy," Melinda giggled.

"That's Uncle Moony's job, sweetie," Harry said, smiling down at her.

"She's simply adorable. It must have been hard for you," the pregnant witch said, referring to the war.

"I had a lot of help," he said, smiling lovingly at Draco. "I don't think I could have done it alone."

"Well, I think I'm ready to sign the papers. This won't be as hard, knowing he's going to a good home. Can I ask one thing, though?" she asked hopefully. Harry and Draco nodded. "When he's born, can I...can I just say goodbye?"

"Of course you can," Draco told her with a sincere smile. He knew that this must have been ripping her heart out.

oOoOoOoOoOo

When Harry stepped out of the fireplace, he was practically bouncing with joy. Needing to share the good news with someone, he immediately called for Tinky. The house elf arrived with a pop and smiled at seeing her master so happy. Draco and Melinda watched happily next to the fireplace.

"Tinky! We're going to have a baby boy!" he said happily before turning to Draco and Melinda. "I have to tell Moony and Molly and Hermione and –"

"Calm down, Harry," Draco laughed. Harry blushed and sat down on the couch. "Why don't we have everyone over tomorrow for dinner and tell them then?" Draco suggested. Harry nodded.

"We have to go shopping and pick out a name. We only have three months, baby. I still can't believe wizard pregnancies are only six months. I wouldn't have believed it had I not lived through it. So what should we call him?" Harry asked.

"Daddy! There's three whole months!" Melinda giggled. She thought it was funny seeing her father so excited.

"What sounds good with Malfoy-Potter?" Harry asked his daughter and boyfriend.

"How about we go have some of those cookies you two made before going for a fly until dinner?" Draco asked as he and Melinda pulled Harry to the kitchen without letting him answer.

After they had each eaten a few cookies, Melinda was sent to change into proper flying attire.

"You know, when you found out you were going to have Melinda, you had a completely different reaction."

"I was seventeen and we were in the middle of a war."

_"Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked his best friend worriedly. He had been noticing changes in Ginny's behaviour and was starting to suspect something. Hermione was the best person to go to in case he happened to be wrong._

_"Sure, Harry, what is it?" she asked as she put her book down and turned her attention to him. He looked worried, and she didn't like that one bit._

_"How's the medical training going?" he asked her. After much persuasion from Harry, he had convinced Hermione to take a medical role during the war instead of a battle one. With the Death Eater attacks and the final battle that was soon to come, St Mungo's needed all the help they could get. She would still be doing something important to help, but she would be safe._

_"It's going great, but I know that's not what you're here about."_

_"Have you noticed anything different about Ginny lately?" he asked. Hermione thought for a moment before shaking her head._

_"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" This was the hard part. He took a deep breath and expected the worst._

_"Well, she's been wearing looser clothing lately, she eats more and a little weirdly, and I've heard her early in the morning, for the past few weeks, being sick." Harry chanced a glance at Hermione. "Oh, come on, 'Mione! Don't make me say it!"_

_"When did this happen?"_

_"Three months ago."_

_"Bloody hell, Harry! If she _is _pregnant she's already halfway through!"_

_"I said three, Hermione, not five."_

_"Harry, wizarding pregnancies only last six months. We have to find out _now_." Hermione took her wand and dragged Harry out of her room and outside to where Ginny was playing chess with Draco. Hermione marched right up to the youngest Weasley and pointed her wand at her. A thin purple beam hit Ginny's stomach, and she whipped around to see where it came from. _

_"Hermione, what is that!" The four teens shifted their gaze to the beam of light that floated in the air making the shape of a three. Harry kicked an empty bucket angrily, Draco looked at Harry shocked, and Ginny looked at the number with tears in her eyes. Hermione stopped the spell._

_"Why aren't you showing, Ginny?"_

"_I…I…" Draco turned his gaze to Ginny before realisation hit him._

_"Ginny, did you put a concealment charm on a baby! Do you know how dangerous that is! That can alter the baby's growth!" he snapped as he took out his own wand and pointed it at Ginny._

_"_Finite Incantatem_!" The spell hit her stomach, and it grew out. Harry was taking deep breaths to calm himself. Ginny turned to him, fearing his reaction._

_"I'm sorry," she whispered._

_"Don't be. I had as much a part in this as you did. I shouldn't have let it happen, especially without taking precautions. I'm contacting Madam Pomfrey first thing tomorrow and you – we – are telling your parents tonight. You are also _forbidden_ to take any part in this war lest you harm the baby, and not one word is to be whispered outside of the family that this is my child. If Voldemort finds out, he'll use it as a way to get to me."_

_"You can't tell me what to do!" she shouted outraged._

_"Watch me," Harry hissed dangerously. "I'll lock you up somewhere if I have to. Do you hear me?" Ginny nodded. "When your father gets home tonight, we'll tell him and Molly. You can let the others know tomorrow. Apart from Draco, Remus and Hermione, the only ones that will know who the father is must have the surname Weasley."_

_"We'll give you some time alone, Harry," Hermione told him, putting an arm around Ginny's shaking shoulder and leading her back to the house. Draco made to follow them but was stopped._

_"Can't I do anything right, Draco?" Harry asked as he sat down and leaned against a tree. Draco sat down next to him._

_"What's done is done. Now you have to find a way to deal with it, but I'll help. We all will."_

_"Thanks. I need a drink," he complained. Draco took his wand out again and conjured a bottle of Firewhiskey. _

_"Drink away. I'll cast a sobering charm on you when you're done." Harry smiled and took a sip._

_A bottle and a half later, Harry was giggling and asking Draco question after question._

_"Why you don' got a girlfriend?" Harry asked. In his drunken mind he didn't recall ever seeing the blond in a relationship, and it seemed he was right. He could only recall Pansy Parkinson who had followed him around like a dog._

_"Because I'm gay."_

_"Ohhh, I sheee. Mmmm 's Ron hot?"_

_"He doesn't appeal to me."_

"_Errr, Bill?"_

_"He's cool but still not my type, nor age, for that matter."_

_"Crabbe an' Goyle?" Harry asked before laughing uncontrollably. Draco turned a slight shade of green. _

_"Now I _know_ you're drunk off your arse."_

_"Hmmm, what about...errr...me?"_

_"Now we're getting somewhere."_

_"Yesh, I's hot," Harry said as he giggled like a schoolgirl. "Whaz it like to kiss boys?"_

_"I don't know. The same as a girl, I guess. I've never kissed a girl, so I can't really compare the two."_

_"I never kiss a boy. Only girl. Two girl. Cho s'not good. Cry too much. Maybe I's trying boy when old Voldie…hiccup…snuff it. Might like it. Muz be fun f'you like," Harry said as he continued rambling on incoherently. "You're prettyyyy," Harry cooed out of the blue._

_"In the state you're in, you would say the same about Hagrid," Draco pointed out. Harry pulled a face that Draco thought to be very cute. Suddenly Harry put down the-half-empty bottle of liquor and got onto his knees, facing Draco. He studied his old enemy's face before planting his lips firmly on those of the boy in front of him. He paused for a moment, as if assessing the situation before continuing. Draco opened his mouth and Harry's tongue darted in immediately. Draco could taste the Firewhiskey clearly. He found Harry to be a good kisser while drunk and could only imagine how good he must be sober. _No wonder Ginny wanted him so badly, _he thought as he slipped a hand around the back of Harry's head._

_Without breaking the kiss, Harry moved – knocking the bottle down as he went – so that he was straddling Draco's lap. The blond brought his hands from Harry's wild hair to his waist, and Harry draped his arms around the other's slim neck. _We'll have to do this more often,_ Draco thought to himself as he smirked into the kiss. _

"You got _so _drunk," Draco laughed.

"Yes, well, that was a good thing in the end. What's taking Melinda so long?" Harry wondered.

"She's a clever girl. She's probably giving us a little time together before she comes down," Draco smiled innocently. The smile earned him a raised eyebrow from Harry. "Oh, alright! I asked her to clean her room before she comes down. Considering her room's a mess, I figured it would give us a little…time."

"And what did you have in mind?" Harry asked as his body clearly started shouting what he _hoped_ and knew his blond beauty had in mind. Draco took Harry's hand and led him out of the kitchen towards his office. Inside, he closed the door and manoeuvred Harry so that his back was leaning on the shut and locked door.

With a flick of Draco's wand, Harry's robe was in a heap on the floor. Draco dropped his wand on top of the discarded robe and kissed Harry as he worked the button and zipper on Harry's trousers.

"This is for you, so just stand and enjoy," Draco told his lover before gently dropping to his knees in front of Harry's full erection. He teasingly ran his tongue over the dripping head comma making Harry moan. The black-haired man leaned his head back to rest on the door behind him and left Draco to work his magic as he tangled his fingers in the silky blond hair.

After Draco's talented mouth and tongue sucked, nipped and licked Harry's length, Harry thrust into the hot mouth one last time before he came deep inside his lover's throat with a cry of pleasure. Draco swallowed every drop and sucked Harry dry before letting Harry out of his mouth. He redid Harry's trousers and stood up to give the panting man a tight hug.

"Love you, baby," Harry hissed into Draco's neck.

"Love you too, Harry."

After allowing the Boy Who Lived a few minutes to calm himself and come down from his high, Harry and Draco stepped out of the office and made their way to the living room right across the hall to find Melinda on the couch with a picture book.

"Daddy, why did you yell at Draco?" she asked innocently. Harry blushed. She thought they had been fighting. They didn't fight often, but when they did, Melinda hated it and was quick to try her best to fix the problem. They would normally apologise to her and discuss the problem in private later on.

"It was nothing, sweetie. I just did something that's all," Draco assured her. Harry blushed some more, especially after Tinky walked in with a knowing grin on her face as she started fluffing up couch cushions. Whoever said house elves were stupid?

Melinda nodded and the three headed out to their small but efficient Quidditch pitch. While looking for a house to buy together after the war, Harry and Draco had both agreed that they wanted it to be a decent-sized house. Nothing as big and fancy as a manor, but the grounds had to be big enough to conceal a small Quidditch pitch. They had found the perfect house not too far away from The Burrow.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"You have fun with Uncle Moony, sweetie, and we'll see you tomorrow," Harry told his little girl, giving her a hug. While Draco said goodbye to Melinda-Rose, Harry took the opportunity to give his surrogate father a hug.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Harry told him as he held on tightly.

"I do know that and I love you too, but I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

"It's just…I know it's been over three years since the war ended, but I'll never get over losing loved ones without saying goodbye or telling them how I feel. That's why I say it whenever I can now. Especially today…"

"That was four years ago, Harry, and I came back safely."

"Only because Tonks loved you so much that she spent all day and night looking for you. We all did. I looked and looked and it was killing me that I couldn't find you." At the mention of Nymphadora, Harry and Remus shared a small moment of silence. She had been one of the many heroes of the war to pass on.

"Look on the bright side, she did find me and it finally knocked some sense into you. If I recall correctly, you told me – and I quote – 'It was the best shag of my life!' Then you blushed, horrified that I had tricked you into spilling the information, and I pointed out he was only your second shag." Harry laughed and smacked the old werewolf playfully on the arm.

"Uncle Moony's teasing Daddy, Draco!" Melinda laughed and ran to Remus for a hug.

"Yes, I am. You ready to go, sweetie? I promised your Uncle Fred we would come visit him at the shop tomorrow. He has a surprise for you. And guess what Grandma Molly brought over for you?"

"Fudge!"

"Remus, I hope you know she's going to be a handful if fudge and Fred are part of your plans," Draco chuckled. He knew Remus loved having her over and always had her favourite things planned.

"Oh, I know, and we're going to have a blast. Have fun, boys, this is your anniversary, after all," he added with a wink to Harry, who blushed. Laughing, the old man shrank Melinda's overnight bag before he stepped into the fireplace holding her tightly and Flooed away.

"Well, you heard him. It's our anniversary and I plan to keep you busy all…night…long," the blond whispered against Harry's lips. Harry smiled and they shared a sweet kiss before Harry pulled away.

"Dinner first. Tinky said she made all our favourites along with dessert that I requested for later," Harry added with a kiss before pulling back completely and taking Draco's hand, leading him to the dining room.

Tinky had set up the big dining room nicely with flowers and candles for dim lighting. The couple ate dinner in silence looking into each other's eyes every so often. Both were replaying special memories in their minds. Harry replayed the faithful afternoon where Remus was brought back to him and he let his feelings for Draco come out.

_Harry Apparated outside the wards of The Burrow and ran as fast as he could down the path. Barrelling into the kitchen and startling Hermione, Arthur and Molly, Harry wasted no time in giving them the good news._

"_They found Remus! He's going to be okay!" Molly rushed out of her seat, tears in her eyes, and hugged Harry. Hermione followed suit._

"_That's wonderful!" the bushy-haired witch cried._

"_Where are Draco and Melinda?" Harry asked._

"_They're upstairs." Harry smiled and ran up the stairs. Running into his and Draco's room – Percy's old room – Harry froze when Melinda was nowhere to be seen._

"_She's taking a nap," Draco reassured the worried father. Harry's body visibly relaxed. "I heard you yell. I was just coming down to see you."_

"_He's going to be okay. I was so worried, Draco I…I hadn't got to say goodbye or tell him one last time how much I love him," Harry said sadly before his face became determined. "But now that he's going to be okay I can tell him. From now on I will make sure the people I love and care about know it starting with you." Draco was startled._

"_With…with me?"_

"_We used to be enemies and when you came to the Light we became friends and I started to care for you. I do care for you. I'm hoping you'll give me a chance to show you how much. I know there's a war going on and that I have a child, not to mention that you would be in greater danger, but –" Whatever he had planned on saying next was cut short by Draco's lips over his._

"_Stupid Gryffindor! Of course I want more and I don't care about the danger. No one is safe anymore. As for Melinda, you know I love her to bits."_

"_Draco, I want you to think about this. If you want to wait until after the war –"_

"_Potter, shut up! I don't want to wait, and I don't want to think about it. I know what I want."_

"_I just –"_

"_Bloody hell, Harry! I would do anything for you or that little girl! Do you honestly think I want to waste another minute without you?"_

"_You would?" Harry asked shyly._

"_Of course I would, damn it! I love you!" he shouted, surprising even himself by saying it out loud. He was getting aggravated at Harry refusal to believe that someone could want him and take risks for him like he did with everyone else. "I've fallen in love with you and I fall harder and harder everyday. That kiss after my uncle tried to take Melinda, it held so much and we've been ignoring it ever since. I don't want to ignore it anymore. I _can't_ ignore it anymore. I want to be able to hold you at night and kiss you goodbye when you leave on Order business. I want to be able to tell you I love you so that you know how much you mean to me in case something happens to either of us. I love you, Harry," Draco finished in a whisper._

_Harry couldn't take it anymore. He launched himself forward onto the blond in front of him knocking him back onto his bed. Draco pulled Harry down along with him and their lips were crashed together in a strong, heated kiss. Never breaking the kiss, they made their way up the bed to get more comfortable. Needing to breathe, Harry pulled out of the kiss and looked into beautiful grey eyes as he smiled softly._

"_Take me, Harry. Make me yours," Draco whispered softly. Harry ran the back of his fingers over Draco's pale cheek as he studied the face before him. He gave the man next to him a kiss before getting off the bed to close and lock the door. He cast a silencing spell on the room and pulled his shirt off over his head, throwing it aside as he walked back to the bed, eyes focused on Draco, who lay still, waiting. Climbing back over to the blond, Harry's body hovered over the one beneath him before he dropped his head down to gently attack the soft, pale neck. Straddling Draco's legs, Harry pulled him up into a sitting position and relieved Draco of his shirt, letting it fall to the floor._

"_You'll have to guide me. I don't really know what I'm doing and I don't know if I'll be any good," Harry told him honestly, as he became shy._

"_I haven't done this before either, but I know we'll both be perfect," Draco assured him. To him, anything Harry did was perfect and as long as it was done with love, he knew it would be amazing. Harry nodded and gently pushed Draco back down. Starting at the blond's neck, Harry dropped a trail of light, wet kisses down his chest and stomach, stopping at his navel. He paused to undo the blond's trousers and Draco lifted his hips to allow Harry to remove any clothing that remained. Clothes taken care of, Harry went back to dropping kisses on Draco's stomach and each of his prominent hipbones before trailing more kisses back up._

"_You tease!" Harry just smirked and kept going._

"_You love me anyway, Dray." Draco nodded and kissed him. He gasped when Harry gently ran the tips of his short fingernails up his length. The young father smiled into the kiss and wrapped his fingers around Draco's erection and began to gently stroke. Harry watched the pleasure build in those beautiful, grey eyes before Draco released himself onto Harry's hand. Harry kept pumping until Draco was completely spent._

"_Mmm. That felt good," Draco mumbled into Harry's neck._

"_I figured I'd start with something I know."_

"_What happened to Gryffindor courage?" Draco teased._

"_Out of the window. You're too important to disappoint."_

"_That's nice, but you're wearing far too many clothes," Draco smirked as he lightly ran his fingers over Harry's toned stomach and down to his trousers where he easily unfastened the button. Harry quickly got the message and divested himself of the rest of his clothes._

_The next kiss began as a slow, teasing kiss and grew more passionate and aggressive in a short amount of time. Draco was rapidly growing hard again and desperately wanted to feel the man he loved inside him. He reached onto the night table behind him, feeling around for his wand. Grasping the wooden stick, he conjured a slippery substance into the palm of Harry's hand and put his wand back onto the nightstand. He spread the lube onto Harry's fingers and guided the slick hand between his thighs. The Gryffindor let Draco guide him without hesitation._

_"Unless you want to pay me back for being the biggest prat back in school, you'll have to prepare me. I _do_ deserve the pain after all the things I did, but I ask you to take pity on me and be gentle for my first time."_

_"I could never hurt you. Besides, I wasn't a saint either. I could have just ignored you."_

_"I'm too irresistible to ignore," the Slytherin said proudly. That he was._

_Harry slipped a finger in and Draco closed his eyes, letting the feeling wash over him. When he was ready, he let Harry add a second digit, followed by a third. He winced slightly from a twinge of pain as the third finger was inserted and Harry gave him a moment to adjust. Draco relaxed and allowed the muscle to be stretched. As Harry removed his hand, Draco made a noise of protest, feeling empty inside at the loss of contact, but let Harry roll him onto his back. Harry balanced his weight out to avoid crushing the lithe body under him as Draco wrapped his slim legs around Harry's waist and ran his hands over his arms and back. _

_He felt a slight pressure at his opening and pushed up to let Harry know it was okay. He was slowly filled and smiled as the feeling of loss disappeared. Harry slowed when he was in completely and only started to gently thrust in and out again when he was told it was okay._

_"Don't worry, baby, you won't hurt me," Draco assured him. Harry dipped his head down for a kiss as he increased his pace and force. It wasn't long before Draco started meeting his thrusts. When Harry hit his sweet spot, Draco cried out and begged him to hit it again. Harry slammed in at the same angle and was rewarded with another cry of pleasure. He made sure to hit it with every following thrust._

_"I'm close, Draco," Harry panted in warning. With one final thrust, Harry came, followed by his blond beauty. When both were spent, Harry gently put all his weight on Draco. The blond held him tight as they caught their breath._

_"That was amazing," Draco said with a smile as he cuddled into Harry after he had pulled out and lay next to Draco._

_"It was. I love you," Harry whispered before they soon fell asleep for a short rest._

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Can we take things to the bedroom now or do I have to take you right here on the table?" Draco asked hopefully when they were done eating.

"Not yet. I have something else planned before that," Harry told him as he stood up and walked to Draco's side of the table and took his hand. Without a word, he silently led Draco to their Apparition room.

"Hold my hand. I'm going to Side-Along Apparate us to where we're going. I know you're going to love it." Draco gripped Harry's hand more tightly and closed his eyes as if he feared being lost on the way and waited for Harry to Apparate them. In a short moment, Draco found himself gone from the quiet atmosphere of his home to an open, outside area with the sound of water around him. He opened his eyes and saw that they were on a beach. A sliver of sun was starting to rise in the distance. He looked over to the left and saw a big blanket set on the ground with magical candles lit all around it. He suspected the blanket was charmed to stay put since the warm breeze wasn't disturbing it.

"Where are we?" Draco asked amazed. It was beautiful and they were alone.

"Wizarding island in Malibu. It's used by the Ministry for events, parties and stuff like that, but when it's not in use they rent it out. It's ours for the next few hours. I was hoping we could take a walk by the water." Draco agreed and both young men took off their shoes and socks and rolled up their trousers. Draco entwined his fingers with Harry's and they set off for a short walk in the shallow water. Draco hadn't been to the beach in years and it was nice to be able to come again. Being there right before sunrise with Harry was even better.

"It's beautiful here. I want to come back with the kids one day. Maybe even have a reunion of sorts with everyone. It would be nice to have everyone and their families together. How much did it cost to rent?"

"The arseholes wouldn't let me pay," Harry snarled. He hated the fact that people always tripped over themselves to please him and give him what he wanted. "I told them in that case I would add the amount it would normally have cost to rent the island on our yearly donation to St Mungo's Magical Research. They said it was very nice of me."

"You're a hero, Harry. You saved thousands of lives. That's not something people will forget. You'll have to get used to it. Look on the bright side; at least the reporters don't go looking for you anymore. They just snap a picture when they happen to see you somewhere."

"People thanking me for ridding them of Voldemort doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the constant privileges and 'fan mail' with rubbish in it like marriage proposals and bad stuff about you. Did I ever tell you about the wizard stripper who sent me his picture and said he could give me ten times more pleasure than you? Tinky was ready to take me to St Mungo's."

"It's nice to know you're happy with me. I always wondered about that," Draco teased.

"I love you too much to go anywhere. And he was nowhere near as good-looking as you are. No one's more perfect than my baby is. I wonder if the Ministry would pass the marriage law if I asked them to," Harry pondered. It had never occurred to him. He didn't like that he got whatever he asked for, but since things wouldn't change there was no point in fighting it. It was no secret that he was gay, so if he expressed the wish to marry maybe he would get it.

"Well, since we're on the subject," Draco started as he stopped walking and turned to face Harry, "You weren't the only one with something planned for tonight." Draco dug into his back pocket and pulled out a small box covered in soft, black velvet and opened it to face Harry. Harry stared into the ring box at a gold ring in the shape of a snake with ruby eyes and tongue. His eyes started to tear up as he stared at the beautiful ring. He looked up at Draco and saw the blond was biting his lip as if worried.

"When did you plan this?" he whispered.

"Two months ago. The day after we signed the adoption papers. I went to the jeweller's and had it made."

"You're nervous. Why are you nervous?" Harry asked.

"Well, I know we always say we want to get married if they pass the law, but we never made it official. I just...I don't know why I'm nervous," Draco laughed. "I guess it's more a happy kind of nervous. This is as close to official as we can get right now. They may be able to stop us from getting married but we can still get engaged. I want you to have more than just words. I wanted to ask you properly. You and Melinda mean the world to me, Harry. You make me a better person and I don't think I could live without you. If I lost you tomorrow, I would die. I wouldn't have a reason to wake up in the morning or a reason to come home at night. I've devoted the last four years of my life to making you happy and I plan on doing just that for as long as I live. Harry James Potter, will you marry me?" Harry was openly crying with joy as he threw himself onto the blond and hugged him tight.

"Yes, Draco! Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! I love you so much!" He let go and allowed Draco to slide the ring onto his finger before they kissed as the sun continued to rise and sparkle over the water. Judging that the walk back to their blanket would be too long, Harry Apparated them to the centre of it and wandlessly spelled their clothes off, letting them land in a pile on the other side of the circle of candles. Draco felt the breeze on his skin and looked down.

"In a hurry?" he asked against Harry's lips.

"Yes," Harry hissed. He gently pulled Draco down to lie on the blanket.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Draco smiled as he held Harry and watched him admire the gold band on his ring finger. Harry had a silly smile on his face and it melted Draco's heart.

"You like it?"

"I love it but after what you said I would have loved anything you gave me. Did you design it?"

"I told them what I wanted and they designed it. It was made with the purest gold and the best rubies. You deserve nothing but the best. I even mixed Gryffindor and Slytherin for you," he teased. Harry smiled and studied the ring some more.

"When we get married, I want to get married here. Both the wedding and the reception."

"Anything for the bride."

"Prat. Next thing I know you'll have me wearing a wedding dress."

"Never but you'll have to decide: Muggle or Wizard. Muggle wedding will have Muggle attire as for Wizard we'll have robes. The guests dress accordingly. Like Hermione and Seamus went Muggle-style."

"I want Wizard style but I don't want dress robes like we had for the Yule Ball back in fourth year. I want nice plain robes."

"Then that's what you'll get. Now, didn't you say you had something else planned? Merlin knows I could stay here forever but this sun is bloody hot. How do people live here?" Harry shrugged and they both stood up. With another wave of his wand hand, Harry banished the candles, blanket and…

"Erm, Harry, you banished our clothes," Draco told him uncomfortably.

"Everything was sent home and that's where we're going," Harry told him before taking Draco's hand. Draco opened his eyes when his feet hit solid ground again and saw they were in their room standing in front of their closed bathroom door. Harry opened the door and Draco heard soft music playing before he saw the bathroom itself. Again the lighting was low and there were red, white and pink rose petals scattered around the edge of the big bath that was filled with hot water. Draco smelt the air and noticed his favourite calming potion was in the bath. He smiled as Harry nudged him forward towards the bath and held Harry's hand as he got in before helping Harry in after him. When Harry gently guided him to sit, straddled his lap and summoned a tray of fresh fruit and melted chocolate, Draco knew he was in for a long but nice night.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING!" Melinda shouted as she ran down the hall and into her parents' bedroom. Harry and Draco just had time to pull out of their heated snog before their little girl landed between them in a pile on the bed. She took a deep breath before talking. "A head in the fire says the baby's coming! " Harry and Draco looked at each other wide eyed before clambering out of bed – followed closely by Melinda – and running through the halls of their home as they hastily tried to fix their clothes and hair. The three Malfoy-Potters burst into the Apparition room and headed to the fireplace used for anyone who wasn't considered family. Kneeling next to the fire, they greeted the agency clerk.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, as I was telling little Melinda-Rose, Miss Robertson was brought to St Mungo's half an hour ago."

"We'll be right there," Harry told him. The head disappeared and the Malfoy-Potter family departed for the hospital.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Harry was near tears as he watched the young mother give her newborn son a kiss on the forehead goodbye before delicately handing the young child back the mediwizard.

"Take good care of him," she told them before turning her head to face the other way and letting a sob escape. The young nurse by her bed rushed over to comfort her as best she could while the mediwizard escorted Harry, Draco and Melinda out of the room. After spending a few moments with their little boy, Harry and Draco handed him back to the mediwizard and Melinda waved to her little brother as the man walked into the nursery. The family couldn't wait to be able to take him home.

"Mr. Malfoy?" a nurse asked. Harry and Draco both turned around before Harry realised he had just responded to the name. He smiled at Draco.

"Un jour, Harry. One day," he whispered before turning his attention to the nurse.

"We need a name for the baby to put on the certificate, and we will also need your signatures," she told them. They nodded and followed her to the front desk. She handed them the parchment along with a self-replenishing quill. Draco signed before handing the quill and sheet to Harry. He signed his name and filled out the space used for the child's name and handed it back to the young nurse.

"Desmond Malfoy-Potter," she read. "It's a beautiful name," she said, smiling.

Noticing that the paperwork was finished, Melinda grabbed both her parents' hands and led them to the window of the nursery, where she stuck her face against the glass to look at her little brother. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and rested his chin on his lover's strong shoulder as they watched their little baby boy sleep.

"He's going to be a Slytherin," Draco whispered.

"You wish!" Harry whispered back before they both silently chuckled. Whatever house he was sorted into didn't matter. It was a long way ahead anyway. Yesterday was past, today was wonderful, and they could only hope that tomorrow would be even better.

oOoOoOoOoOo

There will probably be a sequel to it called 'Until Death Do Us Part', but I don't know when I'll get around to it. It will be posted as a SEPARATE story. I have quite a few fics going on at the moment. I had to put everything else on hold just for this one. If anyone wants an email telling them when the sequel will be posted, let me know in a review. I respond to most reviews. I might also write a small oneshot of what's going on with Hermione and Ginny while Draco and drunk Harry are kissing under the tree.

Domina Malfoy


End file.
